Leg rest



Nov. 7, 1961 i N. DELIA 3,007,739

LEG REST Filed April 27, 1959 NICOLA DELIA ATTORNE YS 'iinite "rate Thisinvention relates to leg rest devices and more particularly to legsupport devices adapted to be selectively positioned.

It is often desirable to have ones legs supported in an elevatedposition. Various elevated positions are com fortable to a person andhave therapeutic value, such as resting fatigued muscles and helpingcirculation. Very often doctors recommend that the legs be supported inthis elevated position, but full value of this elevated position cannotbe achieved with pillows, padding, and the like. Also, only one elevatedposition may become uncomfortable for a patient over a period of timeand greater value can be achieved by shifting to a different elevatedposition. Most people would prefer to be able to easily and quicklyshift the position, unaided by other people, and thereby continuouslyenjoy the maximum benefits of therapeutic value of elevated supportpositions. Devices of this type are old in the art, but this inventionintroduces new and novel means of selectively supporting the legselevated in either a straight or a bent position.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of this invention is to providea new and novel device for supporting legs in an elevated position,which position is selectively either a straight or a bent position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel deviceadapted so the user can select one of two positions by exerting pressureon the device with his feet.

A related object of this invention is to provide a leg rest which haspivotally joined sections, unsupported at the joint for supporting oneslegs in either of two selected positions.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel legrest having two leg support sections pivotally joined, a base, and anarrangement of support members between the base and the leg prop sectionso that the joint may move with respect to the base as the device ischanged from one selected position to another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improveddevice made in accordance with the foregoing objects and which can bereadily collapsed for storage.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had byreferring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of F1- URE l; and,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, a base is provided. The base it} has ahorseshoe configuration with a curved section 22 and a first and secondend portion 23 and 24 respectively. The device also includes a legsupport 11. T he leg support 11 has two parallel leg support channels 12suitable for comfortably supporting human legs. The leg support 11 alsohas an upper leg section 13 and a lower leg section 14-. A hinge member15 serves as a pivot means to pivotally join the two leg sections 13,14. The base Iii carries a first prop member 16 comprising a firstsupport post 17 and a second support post 18. The first support post 17is joined to the first end portion of the base 2-3 at 20, and the secondsupport post 18 is joined to the second end portion of the base 24 at21. Springs 35 act as shock absorbers in each of the support posts 17and 18. The first support post 17 is pivotally joined to the upperEfili'i'fldg Patented Nov. 7, 1961 leg section 13 at 25, and the secondsupport post 18 is pivotally joined to the upper leg section 13 at 26. Asecond prop member 19 has a second end. portion 28 which is pivotallyjoined to the lower leg section 14 at 29. The curved portion of the base22 has a plurality of sec ond prop member receiving positioners 32 whichmay, as in disclosed form, be notches. The second prop member 19 has afirst end portion 27 and means consisting of a pin and holder 33 topivotally connect the first end 27 to the base 10 in selected secondprop member receiving notches 32.

The lower leg section 14 has an included portion 39 between the pivotaljoint 29 and the hinge member 15. The lower leg section also has anextension portion 31 on the opposite side of the pivotal joint 29. Thelower leg section has first shoulder means 36, and the upper leg sectionhas second shoulder means 37. A toe bar 34 is carried by the lower legsection 14 and is in operative connection therewith. A seating pad 40 isprovided which is attached to the base 10, and is adapted to lie fiat onthe floor, to provide support for the torso 0f the user.

Because of this new and novel construction of the therapeutic device, itis possible for the person using it to rest his legs to exert pressureon the toe bar and select one of two positions.

In the first or straight position, which is best illustrated in FIGURE1, it will be seen that the lower leg section 14 forms a continuation ofthe upper leg section 13 in the same plane, and the leg support 11 is atan angle with the base Ill. It will be seen in this position that thelegs are held straight and at an angle with the body. The second propmember 19 in this new and novel construction forms an acute angle withthe included portion 30; the first and second shoulder means 36, 37 arein abutment. This second operative position is shown in phantom inFIGURE 1. In this position the upper leg section 13 and the lower legsection 14 are in angular relationship with each other which could becharacterized as a bent position to provide knee support. In the bent orsecond position, the second prop member 19 forms an obtuse angle withthe included portion 34 the first and second shoulders 36 and 37 are notin abutment. In the bent position the extension portion 31 abuts thesecond prop member 19, and the hinge member 15 is at a greater distancefrom the base 10 than in the straight position. It will be seen that inthis bent position the legs are bent at the knees, but still both theupper and lower legs are supported.

Because of this new and novel design it is possible for the person usingthe device to change from the straight to the bent position or bent tostraight position by exerting pressure with his feet while he remains ina reclined position. To change the device from the straight position tothe bent position, the person exerts a pressure on thetoe bar 34 in adirection generally down and toward himself. As he exerts this pressure,the upper leg section 13 and lower leg section 14 will pivot about thehinge .member 15, and the hinge member 15 will move away from the base10. At the same time the second prop member 19 will move in an arcuatepath about the pivotal connection 33. These two related actions willcause the angle formed by the second prop member 19 and the includedportion 30 to change from acute to obtuse and this action will continueuntil it is arrested by the extension portion 31 coming into abutmentwith the second prop member 19.

To change from the bent position to the straight position the personusing this new and novel device exerts a pressure by his feet on the toebar in a direction generally up and away from himself. The movement ofthe parts will be exactly reversed from what it was in changing from thestraight to the bent position, and the movement will continue until thefirst and second shoulder means 36 and 37 abut. A person need not removehis legs from this device while it is being changed from one position toanother, nor does he need outside help to change positions; nor does heneed to use any part of his body other than his legs. During the changefrom the straight position to the bent position the persons legs rest onthe device and his legs move from a straight to a bent position. In facthis legs and feet provide, in part, the motive power to change from oneposition to another. Also in changing from the bent to the straightposition, the persons legs remain on the device and move with it goingfrom a bent position to a straight position.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with acertain degree of particularity, it is understood that the presentdisclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of exampleand that numerous changes in the details of construction and thecombination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A leg rest device comprising an elongated base, a leg support havingtwo parallel leg support channels, said leg support having upper legsection and lower leg section, a hinge member pivotally joining saidupper and lower leg sections of said leg rest, a first prop membercomprising first and second support posts, said support posts carried bysaid base and substantially normal thereto, said first and secondsupport posts being parallel to each other and approximately equal inlength, each of said support posts being pivotally joined to said upperleg section of said leg rest at places spaced from said hinge member; asecond prop member having first and second spaced end portions, saidsecond prop member being longer than either of said support posts, saidsecond end portion of said second prop member being pivotally joined tosaid lower leg section of said leg rest away from said hinge member,said lower leg section having an included portion between said hingemember and said pivotal joint of said second prop mernber, and saidlower leg section of said leg rest, and having an extension portion onthe opposite side of said pivotal joint of said lower leg section ofsaid leg rest and said second prop member; said first end portion ofsaid second prop member being pivotally connected directly to said base;said device having first and second operative positions, in said firstoperative position said lower leg section of said leg rest forming acontinuation of said upper leg section of said leg rest in the sameplane as said upper leg section, in said first operative position saidsecond prop member and the said included portion of said lower legsection forming an acute angle; in said second operative position saidfirst and second sections of said leg rest being at an angle withrespect to each other, in said second position the second prop memberand the included portion of said lower leg section forming an obtuseangle, in said second position said extension portion of said secondsection of said leg rest abutting said second prop member, in

said second position said hinge member being spaced farther from saidbase than in said first position, said lower leg section having firstshoulder means, said upper leg section having second shoulder means,said first and second shoulder means in abutment in said first operativeposition; and a toe bar extending from said second section of said legsupport and in operative connection therewith, whereby exerted pressureon the toe bar is transmitted to select said first and second positions.

2. A leg rest comprising, a leg support having an upper leg section anda lower leg section, hinge means pivotally joining said sectionstogether in longitudinally aligned relationship, said sections beingrelatively pivotal about the axis of the hinge means from an alignedstraight position to a bent position, a first prop member pivotallyconnected to said upper leg section at a place spaced from said hingemeans, said first prop member being carried directly by said base, asecond prop member spaced from the first prop member and pivotallyconnected directly to said base, said second prop member being pivotallyjoined to said lower leg section at a place spaced from said hingemeans, said hinge means including means co-actable with the sections tolimit relative pivotal movement in one direction and thereby locate saidstraight position, and said second prop member co-acting with the lowerleg section and thereby locating the bent position.

3. In the device of claim 2 the provision of a toe bar extending fromsaid lower leg section and in operative connection therewith, said toebar positioned to transmit selectively applied force to move the legrest from the straight position to the bent position and from the bentposition to the straight position.

4. In a leg rest having a base, a leg support including an upper and alower leg section, hinge means pivotally joining said sections, firstand second spaced members carried by the base and pivotally joined tothe upper and lower leg sections respectively, said leg rest having abent position and a straight position wherein the upper and lower legsupport sections are aligned, the improvement which comprises, a toebar, said toe bar being rigidly connected to the lower leg section, saidtoe bar having a foot receiving portion spaced from said lower legsection and having a pair of pressure transmitting surfaces eachparallel to said lower leg section, said surfaces being adapted totransmit a force applied to one surface to cause the leg rest to move toits straight position and a force applied to the other surface to causethe leg rest to move to its bent position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,112,678 Rausch Mar. 29, 1938 2,281,119 Smith Apr. 28, 1942 2,353,418Smith July 11, 1944 2,581,110 Kenworthy Jan. 1, 1952 2,834,032 Scott May13, 1958

